DB might be top need

The 49ers lost a coin flip to the Titans in a conference room in Indianapolis on Friday, and will pick 17th overall while the Titans will choose 16th. Will losing the flip make a huge difference? Probably not if the Titans and 49ers pick according to their team needs. Tennessee needs defensive help at defensive end, defensive tackle and linebacker, while the 49ers need offensive linemen and defensive backs.

Two days ago on this site, we delineated a top team need as the offensive line, which seems to reflect a popular opinion. But looking at it more closely another need may supersede the line and that’s the secondary.

Despite injuries to Joe Staley and with David Baas hampered by foot and ankle maladies at the beginning of the year, the line nevertheless, improved in two key areas. After giving up the most sacks in the league in 2007 and ’08, the 49ers dropped to 11th in sacks yielded and 23rd in sacks allowed per play. Meanwhile, they became more proficient as a run-blocking unit. The line also consists of young highly drafted players (particularly Staley, Baas and Chilo Rachal) who are still developing.

Tarell Brown needs company in the secondary.

At cornerback in particular, the 49ers simply don’t have highly-drafted prospects they can develop. The closest is former fifth-rounder Tarell Brown. What they do have is an aging class of cornerbacks in Dre Bly, Nate Clements and Walt Harris, who could all be gone by May. Bly might be the best of this trio, but his game is predicated on playing on instincts and jumping routes, which can disrupt the 49ers highly-disciplined style of defense. The prideful Clements was hurt by his demotion before he fractured his shoulder. So if the 49ers ask him to reduce his contract, which is expected, he might simply ask for his release.

Harris is 36 and coming off major surgery. He wants to continue to play, but that might not be feasible.

Strong safety Michael Lewis will enter the 2010 season as a 30-year-old in his ninth-year with a history of concussions. Lewis is also run-support player in a league increasingly geared towards the pass.

All this on a secondary that has ranked in the bottom third of the league for the last seven seasons. The 49ers haven’t been in the top third since 1996. Again, with the league going to more passing, the gains the 49ers have made defensively the last few seasons could disappear quickly if they can’t cover.

Drafting young defensive backs is also the only way the team can potentially reduce the contracts of Clements and Lewis. Without the leverage of draft choices, the 49ers might be forced to stay in bad contracts with those players.

Additionally, no team was hurt more last year on punt returns than the 49ers. Mike Singletary said he wants to draft more than one returner and there are several cornerbacks who also possess return skills. Oklahoma State’s Perrish Cox, Boise State’s Kyle Wilson, Alabama’s Javier Arenas can all return.

However, keep in mind that general manager Scot McCloughan likes big defensive backs and the 49ers don’t have a defensive back on the roster under 5-10. McCloughan was asked about that vary topic at the combine.

“We believe in bigger corners. In our division, we went 5-1 last year, I think we set ourselves up pretty well to match up against guys in our division. Also, you’ve got to realize the receivers coming in have somewhat running back vision and instincts. But again, I’ll never lose sight of this and maybe I’m a dinosaur in this, but it’s a big man’s game. From the standpoint of holding up through a season durability-wise. But also in the playoffs. You have to have some size and some power and strength I think to be a contender year in and year out.”

Corner is the greatest need in the secondary and possibly the entire team. The 49ers have a potential Pro Bowl player in Dashon Goldson and they do have two young prospects behind Lewis with former third-rounder Reggie Smith and last year’s seventh-round project Curtis Taylor.

COMBINE NUMBERS: Arkansas guard Mike Petrus won the bench press, with 45 reps at 225 pounds. He tied a record set by Ohio State defensive end Mike Kudla (2006) and UTEP defensive tackle Leif Larsen (2000), which might give you an indication how important the bench press is. Does anyone know off the top of their head what Kudla and Larsen are doing now?

Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung not only has a pair of the longest arms at the combine (36.5 inches) he also pumped 38 reps on the bench press. One disappointment was Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis at 21 reps. But as NFL networks Mike Lombardi said, strength for offensive linemen comes from their hips, not from their chest.